Christmas Party
by CarlottaStudios
Summary: (written last year, posted this year) Carlotta hosts a Christmas Party for the storm hawks and the shane gang. Although the guests are all allowed to bring a friend or date, she's hoping a cetrain slugslinger will be single at this party.
1. Chapter 1

"Just a little higher!"

Carlotta groaned. Both her arms and her patience were stretched as far as they could go, and it was becoming increasingly painful to hold her position.

"I can't go any higher!" she called down the ladder.

At its foot, her double sighed in sympathy. After all, she was feeling the same stretching pain as the Carlotta above her.

"It has to stick to the branch."

"I know it has to stick to the branch, but I can't REACH the flippin' branch!" Carlotta couldn't help but snap.

As a demonstration of her utter helplessness, she held tightly to the ladder with one hand and practically lunged at the intended spot, with the firefly trap in her other hand. For her efforts, she nearly dropped the trap and caused the ladder to teeter and wobble. Letting out a frightened yelp, she grabbed hold of the ladder as it was steadied beneath her.

"Okay, okay, so that won't work." said a Carlotta while the other muttered:

"Gee, ya think?"

Ignoring the muttered comment, she continued:

"Alright, here's an idea: you throw the trap and I'll shoot Goober at the same time so that he can catch them just as the trap breaks."

As she spoke, she loaded the Jellyish slug into the blaster Eli had lent them. At the top of the ladder, Carlotta nodded and prepared to throw.

"Ready?"

She waited a beat, then:

"Pull!"

She tossed the trap in the air. Behind her, the blaster fired and Goober shot out a small cloud of green porous gloop. As the trap hit the branch, it split into little snowflakes of paper, and before the fireflies could even blink, the green substance caught them and SHLAP! Stuck them to the tree.

"Yes!" Carlotta pumped her fist, then reached out a hand to catch Goober as he fell.

Goober safely in hand, she climbed down the ladder as fast as she could to high-fives from her dopplegangers.

"Great work girls! We're done!" Carlotta said, turning to face their handiwork.

They had spent almost the whole afternoon decorating a clearing near the Shane hideout for the party, and their efforts had payed off. Small snow drifts were piled in every corner; the ground was covered in a fine dusting of white; there were tables and chairs set out, as well as a long buffet table covered with plates full of food; crystals of assorted colors hung from webby ropes stretching above them; and on every tree and under every giant mushroom that bordered the clearing, yellow energy crystals sat in little alcoves. Combined with the fireflies in their goopy prisons of soft green, they cast a warm glow over the entire setting. Last, but not least, clusters of holly and mistletoe added the final touches to the holiday setting.

"It's perfect!" Carlotta said, grinning at the others. "And I couldn't have done this without you helping me."

She then turned to Goober and a few other slugs, Spinner, Buzzsaw and Suds, sitting on one of the tables next to the borrowed blaster.

"Or without you guys!" Carlotta grinned, tickling Spinner under the chin. "Tell Eli thanks for me, okay?"

The slugs squeaked happily, no doubt saying they'd pass on the message.

"Don't forget to thank Suzy Lu for lending us the Blizzard crystal, or Piper for helping us find all those other crystals." a Carlotta reminded.

"I'll remember." said Carlotta, picking up a rag to wash off the "X" on her forehead, which distinguished her from the others.

"That was real nice of Eli, though, to let us borrow his old blaster and some of his slugs." the other Carlotta said, with a hint of wistfulness to her voice.

Carlotta frowned at her.

"It was a perfectly friendly, platonic gesture." she said, reaching into her pocket and bringing out two crystals: a silvery lunar crystal and the repaired, pyramid-shaped cloning crystal.

"Just platonic?" asked the Carlotta.

She shrugged when the other two Carlottas looked at her.

"Nothing wrong with hoping or speculating," she said, her mouth quirking up a bit.

Carlotta rolled her eyes, but couldn't fight the blush on her face.

"Okay, that's enough. I don't need to give myself any more false hope than I already have."

She activated the lunar crystal and the cloning crystal flashed bright blue, causing the two Carlotta-clones to fade and disappear. She then turned to the slugs. They tilted their heads curiously at her. The brunette smiled.

"Don't listen to them." she said. "They just said that because I have a huge crush on Eli, even though I have no chance with him."

She said the words casually, knowing them to be true. Unaware of the bug-eyed reaction of the slugs, she chuckled and added:

"And I'm telling you guys because there's no way he could understand you even if you did try to tell him."

She checked her watch.

"I have some free time before the party." she said. "Guess I can wait before I get changed."


	2. Chapter 2

It was almost time for the party. However, not all of those invited were quite ready yet.

"Come on Junko!" Finn, dressed in a dark blue suit with black tie over a black-buttoned white shirt, urged his wallop friend, tapping his foot impatiently. "Hurry up!"

"I'm trying!" said the flight engineer as he struggled and fiddled with his black bowtie (which matched the black of his suit and complimented the pristine white of his shirt), but only succeeding in getting his fingers tangled in it. "Aw, man, it's stuck!"

Finn groaned loudly.

"And I thought girls were the ones who took forever to get dressed up!" he complained. "Now, we're gonna be late for the party!"

Aerrow smirked and raised an eyebrow at the sharpshooter. He was also dressed up, in a black suit with a pale blue shirt underneath.

"I didn't think you were so worried about deadlines, Finn." he chuckled. "It's weird seeing you hung up on being on time for Carlotta's Christmas party."

"I'm not!" argued the sharpshooter. "I just don't want Dove to kill me because I was late picking her up for a date again!"

The sky knight laughed.

"It's not funny! You just wait 'til you see what that girl can do with a just pot and enough motivation! It's not pretty!"

As the blond spoke, Junko tried, for the fifth time, to get his fingers out of the knot they'd made in his tie, and failed.

"Here, Junko, let me help." Piper called out to him, quickly coming to the wallop's aid in a whirl of dark blue fabric.

With expert fingers, she untangled his hands and tied the bow in four swift moves.

"There, all done!" she said, straightening it just so.

Junko, sort of stunned into silence, stared at his reflection in the window glass.

"Wow, thanks Piper!"

"It was nothing," the crystal mage smiled, brushing imaginary dust from her sapphire-colored dress. "Aerrow had trouble with his tie too."

Aerrow grinned. The "trouble with his tie" had really been just an excuse to see Piper in her dress before they had to leave. Being Piper, she'd seen through it, but humoured him and fixed his tie anyway. Finn groaned.

"Can we GO now?!" he fairly shrieked. "Or do you actually WANT Dove to kill me?!"

"Relax, Finn! The party starts in 15 minutes." Aerrow assured the blond. "That's plenty of time to pick up Dove and get to the party."

"Besides, we're stopping on Terra Mesa first to get Starling." said Stork from his position at the controls.

He too was dressed up, in a similar black suit to the ones Junko and Aerrow were wearing, except that his shirt had a very ruffled, lacy collar, much to his irritation and the squadron's amusement. He'd actually pleaded Carlotta to get him a different suit when she'd arrived on the Condor two days ago with their outfits for the party. Slugterra was a different world that had no knowledge of anything outside it (minus the Shane gang, who were also going to the party, of course), so it was important that Carlotta find them outfits to help them blend in somewhat. As stated, Stork wasn't happy with his suit, but when he complained to Carlotta, the brunette world-hopper said, with a less-than-straight face, that it was the only one she could find in what she thought was his size.

"She's coming too?" Finn asked. "Oh, okay, that's cool, and it won't take us that long to get her, unless her date is far away from her terra-who is her date anyway?"

"Starling doesn't have a date, Finn." said Piper, and when Finn looked at her baffled, she added: "Don't you remember what it said on the invitation? It said that we could bring dates, or friends, but it wasn't necessary."

"You're kidding, right?" the blond said. "This is Carlotta we're talking about; she's a matchmaker! Of course she'll want everyone to bring dates!"

"Well, maybe not everyone." said Aerrow, thinking about Eli Shane.

He and the slugslinger had gotten along swimmingly since Carlotta introduced them, so well that Aerrow often thought of Eli as a little brother. Of course, he was close friends with Carlotta too, so he would've had to have been concussed to not notice that she CLEARLY had very strong feelings for him. The rest of the squadron had noticed it too, and had occasionally teased her about it. All of this considered, the sky knight could plainly see that Carlotta was hoping Eli wouldn't have a date to the party. In truth, he was hoping it too. He liked the thought of them together. They were both fun-loving, adventurous and selfless people and both deeply caring, loyal and protective of their friends and family. They were from the same world, but had chosen to leave said world for another, more exciting one (or ones in Carlotta's case). They also had a similar sense of humour, and aggravating love for puns, yet they also balanced each other. Eli was the more extroverted and outgoing of the two, and could bring Carlotta out of her shell better than anyone else. Carlotta was usually calmer and more grounded, and was a voice of reason for Eli, but could also comfort him when things got tough. In all, Aerrow thought they were kind of perfect for each other. Just then, his green eyes widened in realization and fear.

"Oh, sweet Atmos,"

Piper heard him and looked at her date with curiosity and slight worry.

"What is it?"

Aerrow turned to his girlfriend.

"I think I'm starting to understand how Carlotta felt before we finally got together."


	3. Chapter 3

'And...done!' Eli thought as he finished his bowtie.

It was a tiny bit crooked, but still looked good. The young Shane stepped back, smoothed down a few flyaways of his black-blue hair, and surveyed his reflection. He almost didn't recognize himself in his suit. It made him feel grown-up, or like he was about to be paraded around for some formal dinner event. He shook his head. Carlotta may have asked for them to dress up a little, but there was no way any party of hers was going to be formal. A little of buzz of excitement shot through his veins at the thought of seeing her dressed up. He'd never seen Carlotta wear a dress, or anything except her usual Atmosian outfit. She'd look nice in a dress, though. She'd look nice in anything, he bet.

'Whoa, don't get ahead of yourself, E.' he shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

Carlotta was hosting this party. She'd no doubt have more important things to do than just chat with him all night. Still, he'd get to see her, and it's not like she would ignore him, right? He was her friend, after all. Eli stepped out of his room and headed down the stairs.

"Okay gang, let's go!" he called out.

Burpy, Joules, Banger and Chiller appeared from their hiding places, hopped down the stairs with excited squeaks and jumped up onto Eli's shoulders. They were coming along, and even wore little black bowties of their own for the occasion. Not far off, a molanoïd wearing a striped, dark green suit regarded his reflection with growing distaste.

"Hmph! Pronto still thinks he should've worn his red suit rather than his green one." he said, turning to the side to study his rather ample profile. "Red is much more dashing than green."

Eli let out a barely stifled burst of snickering. Pronto glared at the boy.

"I, hehe, don't think that's such a good idea, Pronto." Eli chuckled.

"For the last time! Pronto does NOT look like your 'Santa Claus' in his red suit!" exclaimed the indignant Pronto, his outburst causing his stomach to giggle slightly, which made Eli laugh even more. "Pronto is much more handsome and dignified than your 'Santa Claus'."

While Eli caught his breath, Trixie, in a bright green dress and her usual pigtails, lifted her gaze from her camera and said, smirking:

"I don't know, Pronto. 'Handsome' and 'dignified' aren't really the first words to come to mind to describe your red suit."

Letting out a deeply offended huff, Pronto marched to the door and slammed it behind him. Trixie giggled.

"You think we overdid it?" Eli asked.

"Nah, he'll get over it." said the girl, then she fixed her camera to the white, black-trimmed belt around her waist.

Eli noticed the action.

"Bringing your camera along?" he asked.

"Of course!" said Trixie. "Someone has to take pictures of all the guests with their dates under the mistletoe. By the way, would you mind looking after my camera when I'm dancing with Billy?"

Eli nodded.

"Sure thing," he said. "It'll be safe with us single guys at the bachelors' side of the party."

"You know, speaking of Billy," Kord said, coming up from behind the two, "where is he anyway?"

He looked down at his watch.

"Party's in 5 minutes,"

"It's Billy, Kord." Trixie said, waving away Kord's concern about her date's timing. "He'll come. He'll just get there when he gets there."

"So, he's gonna be late." concluded the cave troll.

Trixie shrugged. She was far too used to her delinquent boyfriend's tardiness by now, so it no longer bothered her.

"Better late than never," she said.

"Right, sure," agreed Kord. "That is unless SOMEONE," at this, he looked pointedly at Eli, "is so late asking their crush to be their date to a party that they end up NEVER asking!"

Eli winced. His tan face turned red at Kord's painfully unsubtle reminder that he'd failed to ask Carlotta to be his date for her party.

"I know, I know, I should've asked her." he said. "But there wasn't-"

"Don't give us that 'there wasn't time' crap again." Kord interrupted.

"Kord's right; you had PLENTY of opportunities, Eli." Trixie confirmed.

"Like when she came by to give us the invitations," said Kord, adding another layer of crimson to Eli's cheeks.

"Or when I invited her to go dress-shopping," smirked Trixie.

"And let's not forget when she fixed that rip in Eli's jacket sleeve," sing-songed Kord.

"Alright, okay, I get it!" Eli said in a rush, just to make them stop.

It was bad enough that he hadn't had the courage to ask Carlotta out on multiple occasions, but now his "friends" felt it necessary to further his embarrassment by rubbing it in. He looked to Burpy, hoping for an ally. Instead, the Infurnus took one look at his slinger and burst out laughing, unable to hold in his giggles for one more moment. The other slugs joined in. Eli groaned. Great, now his own slugs were taking delight in his torture.

"Look, there just wasn't a RIGHT time to ask her." he said, rushing out the door.

Trixie and Kord stared at him, then looked at each other with twin smirks before following him outside.

"That's gotta be the lamest excuse I have ever heard." said the redhead.

"Yup!" Kord agreed, grinning like a loon. "Sounds to me, Eli, like you were just too chicken."

Eli glared daggers over his shoulder at the troll.

"Let's just go, or we're gonna be late for the party." he mumbled.

Kord's grin widened, if such a thing were possible, and he flapped his elbows like little wings.

"Bawk, bawk-bawk-bawk bawk!" he "clucked".


	4. Chapter 4

It only took them a few minutes to reach the party, during which Eli finally got Kord to cease his chicken impression. When they got to the clearing, the gang's jaws fell open in breath-taken surprise. In the dimness of approaching night, the clearing looked beautiful! The fireflies and crystals glowed, causing the snow on the ground to shimmer!

"Wow!" Eli whispered as he stared up in delight at the crystals winking above them.

"Yeah!" Kord said softly, eyes wide.

Just then, a voice rose up from the crowd of people already gathered inside the clearing.

"Eli! There you are!"

Eli blinked and his blue eyes found a tall, red-headed young man approaching with a huge grin on his face. Eli smiled and ran to greet him.

"Hey, Aerrow!" he said, giving the sky knight a quick, tight hug and a brief handshake. "It's great to see you!"

"You too! It's been a while!"

It had been a while. Eli had grown since they'd last seen each other, but still had some catching up to do before he reached Aerrow's height.

"Merry Christmas, by the way." said Aerrow fondly, before giving Eli an affectionate muss of his hair.

Eli laughed it off and smoothed his bangs back down, chuckling:

"Merry Christmas!"

Aerrow grinned, then turned to the rest of the gang. He said hi to Trixie, shook Pronto's hand and got the wind knocked out of him when Kord slapped him on the back. The other guests spotted them and rushed over to say hello. Eli got a big hug from Junko, gave Finn a high-five, politely greeted Stork (while trying not to stare at his huge, frilly collar) and hugged Aerrow's girlfriend Piper. Aerrow then pulled him slightly aside to keep him from getting too cramped.

"So, how've you been? How's protecting Slugterra going along?" he asked.

"Great," said Eli, reaching over to give a friendly scratch on the head to Aerrow's co-pilot Radarr, who'd been sitting on his usual perch on Aerrow's shoulder.

The slugs chirped out a greeting and all the animals leaped to the ground to catch up, squeaking and chirping happily to each other in a language incomprehensible to the two guys.

"What with Blakk and the Darkbane gone, there's not quite as much action as before. But there's always something out there trying to cause trouble, so it never gets boring in Slugterra." Eli continued.

"Oh, I hear you." said Aerrow. "Listen, I'd love for us to keep catching up, but there's two people you should meet right now."

Eli looked and saw a small group of females who'd stayed a bit behind from the storm hawks. The closest was a tall, older woman, about Stork's age, if Eli had to guess, wearing a slim, white dress. She had electric purple hair blown hack and tied in a ponytail, cypress green eyes with long lashes and kind, if a bit stoic features.

"Eli, this is Starling." Aerrow said, gesturing to the woman, who approached them with a smile on her lips. "She's a sky knight, leader of the Interceptors, and an honorary storm hawk. Starling, this is Eli Shane; defender of Slugterra and protector of the 99 caverns."

Starling held out her hand to Eli.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." she said, speaking with a charming British accent. "The storm hawks have told me about you, and your accomplishments. And I must say, I was very impressed by everything they've told me."

"Thanks, it's a pleasure to meet you too, Starling." said Eli. "It's nice to finally meet another sky knight."

Quickly, he turned to Aerrow.

"No offence,"

But Aerrow waved away the concern.

"None taken. Honestly. And I don't blame you; Starling's kind of a celebrity on Atmos."

At this, Starling laughed.

"Not nearly as much as Aerrow and the storm hawks are!" she chuckled. "But regardless, it is very nice to meet you."

"You too, ma'am." Eli nodded as she went to talk to the rest of his team.

He was about to say something to Aerrow when:

"Eli!"

He turned and felt his mouth drop open for the second time in 10 minutes. Carlotta was dashing over to greet them, wearing a plain black dress ending just above her knees. Her hair was untied, and tumbled down in slight waves of brown upon her shoulders. She was beautiful.

"H-Hey," Eli stuttered when she reached them.

He could feel himself blushing a bit as she clasped his hands, smiling delightedly up at him.

"Oh, I'm so glad you made it! Well, of course you'd make it, but I'm so happy you're here!" she said.

"Yeah, me too." Eli said, feeling very aware of their hands touching, skin to skin, with no gloves in the way. "And you, you look...wow!"

Carlotta's blue eyes shied away, and her cheeks went very red.

"Thanks," she said, looking strangely adorable in her timidity. "But you look amazing too!" she added in a rushed and breathless voice, her face turning even redder as the words came out.

Eli's heart skipped a beat.

"Thank you,"

Just then, a small cough, got the attention of both flustered teens. Aerrow nodded to the girl standing next to Carlotta. She had clear skin (almost as pale as Carlotta herself), big blue eyes and short, dark green hair, and wore a violet dress.

"Oh, right!" said the hostess, letting go of Eli's hands, though she seemed very reluctant to do so. "Eli, this is-"

"I can make my own introductions, Carlotta." said the girl, her voice thick with a french accent.

She shook Eli's hand.

"My name is Dove." she said. "And you must be Eli Shane, ze slug-slinger and protecter of Slugterra, oui?"

"Yeah, that's me. It's nice to meet you, Dove." Eli smiled at the girl. "Are you a storm hawk too?"

"Oh no," laughed Dove. "I am dating one of zem though. Finn is my boyfriend, so I am his date to zis party. It is very nice to meet you too. I've been looking forward to it since Carlotta first mentioned you to us on one of our girls' nights out."

Eli's eyebrows lifted.

"Really?"

"Dove." Carlotta said between clenched teeth, as though warning her to stop talking.

"Pas maintenant, Carlotta, j'suis en train de parler. (translation: Not now, Carlotta, I'm talking.)" Dove muttered to the hostess, which Eli hadn't understood.

Then, she switched to English:

"Oh yes, Carlotta talks about you ALL ze time! And now I must say I can understand vhy-"

"DOVE! Arrête, j't'en pris! (translation: DOVE! Stop, I beg you!)" Carlotta whisper-shouted before Eli could even blush or widen his eyes in surprise.

She grabbed Dove's arm and pulled her aside, where the two started a furiously-whispered conversation in French, none of which Eli could make out. Aerrow smiled patiently and put a hand on his shoulder.

"The girls are always talking to each other in Galen." he said. "Piper too, but she assures me they're not making fun of us."

Eli frowned.

"Galen?"

Aerrow caught himself.

"French, on your world. We call it Galen 'cause it comes from Terra Gale, Dove's home."

"Oh," said Eli, watching as the girls continued whispering.

"Don't worry, I can't understand a word of it either." Aerrow laughed. "But they're probably going to go on like this for a while. How about we go to the buffet and keep talking there?"

"Sure, sounds good." said Eli, because he still needed some time to recover from the star-struck daze of seeing Carlotta in her pretty dress.

"Excuse us, girls," Aerrow called out to the two, interrupting what looked to be a heated debate, "we're going to see the rest of the party, okay?"

"Oh, sure, go ahead." said Carlotta, nodding and tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear (a gesture Eli felt he wouldn't be forgetting any time soon). "I need to be a good hostess anyway and say hi to the rest of the Shane gang. See ya, Aerrow. Later, Eli."

"Uh, yeah, later," Eli waved to her before following Aerrow to the other side of the clearing.

Carlotta watched Eli as he left, looking so very, very handsome in his suit. She could still feel the lingering heat in her face from when she'd taken his hand, and from Dove's blabbing about her talking "ALL the time" about him. Once he'd passed them, she finally let out her breath in a relieved:

"Phewwwwww!"

Dove grinned mischievously at her.

"Es-tu certaine que ce n'est pas ton p'tit ami? (translation: Are you sure that he's not your boyfriend?)" she said slyly.

"Ta gueule! (translation: Shut up!)" Carlotta whisper-shouted, her face turning red once again.


	5. Chapter 5

Junjie had never been to a Christmas party before. But so far, it was growing to be a pleasant experience. The storm hawks were very interesting individuals, and he especially enjoyed talking with the blue-haired crystal mage, Piper, even though he could see Aerrow silently seething from across the clearing. To avoid the sky knight's wrath, he made his excuses and went to stand aside and watch the festivities. His silent contemplation was briefly interrupted when a blond boy in an untidy suit barreled into the clearing, almost knocking over a table.

"Oh man! I'm so late! Trixie? I'm here! Oh man, where is she? Trixie?!"

Junjie watched the wild-eyed teen with growing concern. He would've gone over to him to point out where Trixie was (or possibly get him a paper bag), when Trixie ran over to hug him.

"There you are, you silly boy!" she said.

The boy relaxed, hugging her back.

"Oh, babe, I am SO sorry. I didn't see the time, I-"

"It's okay, Billy!" the redheaded girl soothed, pulling away enough to kiss him.

The blond boy relaxed, letting his arms circle Trixie's waist to hold her close.

'Ah, this must be Trixie's boyfriend, Billy, that Eli mentioned.' Junjie figured.

Junjie turned and walked a few steps away from the couple, chuckling as he heard Trixie snap at Pronto for interrupting her and Billy.

"I think I'll actually go thank Pronto later for that."

Junjie's eyes widened as he heard the voice. He'd never heard it before and looked around for the source.

"I don't know. I actually don't mind most PDA, but this is admittedly a little...direct. You know what I mean?" Junjie recognized Carlotta's voice, then he heard her and her companion laugh.

"Direct? That's putting it mildly."

Then Junjie saw her: a dark-skinned girl with short, bright pink hair, a dark, blue-grey dress, and glasses shading her entrancing black eyes. He stepped out of the girl's line of sight, though he didn't think she'd noticed him, and watched her for a moment. She was certainly beautiful. And she had a mysterious, yet fascinating aura about her, like she was a girl who kept secrets. But she also seemed charming and witty from how she was talking to Carlotta. Junjie had no idea who this attractive young woman was, but he hoped to find out later. It seemed this party had just become even more enjoyable.


	6. Chapter 6

A large plate of cookies sat on the buffet table, its load of baked good decreasing at record speed. The culprits: a large, muscular wallop and a short, round molanoïd. One after the other, they reached into the plate, grabbed a cookie and shoved it into their mouths. They were matching each other cookie for cookie, treat for treat, unknowingly synchronizing in a perfect concert of loud chewing and crunching. Within minutes, the platter was almost empty. Both eaters reached out to grab the last cookie and found themselves grabbing the other person's hand. They looked up and locked eyes.

"Ahem, excuse me, but Pronto asks that you remove your hand from his cookie." said Pronto, pointing to the wallop's hand just beneath his.

"But, I grabbed the cookie first." Junko said. "So I think it's my cookie."

"Preposterous," Pronto interjected. "Pronto had his eyes on zis cookie, so it is for Pronto!"

The molanoïd tugged the cookie closer to his side of the table, but Junko, in all of his wallopian strength, resisted.

"I got it first!" he said, pulling the cookie towards himself.

"No, it is mine!" Pronto grabbed the plate and tugged it in his direction.

"No, mine!" Junko pulled the plate closer to himself.

"Mine!" snapped Pronto.

"Mine!" yelled Junko.

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

The plate went back and forth as the two combatants continued their furious tug-of-war for the last cookie. At last, they gave up pulling one by one and each grabbed the plate with both hands and pulled as hard as they could. Junko was freakishly strong even without his knuckle busters, but a hungry molanoïd could lift boulders if it meant food! The struggle might've ended in stalemate had a certain sky monkey not dropped from the air and landed nimbly onto the plate. Radarr grabbed the last cookie, waved goodbye, and bounced off the dish!

"What the-What just happened?!" Pronto demanded, letting his grip on the plate loosen and-"WAAAAAH!"

Junko was still pulling on his side. And he pulled so hard that he flung the molanoïd over his head! The silver plate went CLANG as it banged into Junko's face, knocking him over. Pronto landed with a great WOOMPF! Into a pile of snow! Radarr snickered, and hopped over to the table with his slug friends, who cheered at the bounty he had brought for all of them. The five animals ripped the cookie into equal shares and feasted their victory! Junko groaned and rolled over, cradling his bruised chin. Then he looked up and saw Pronto emerge from the snow. The white powder had collected on his head and chin, forming a full beard and a hat to go with it. The wallop couldn't help it; he laughed.

"If, HAHAHA, if you wearing a red suit, haha, you'd look just like Santa Claus! HAHAHA! I! I-I'm sorry, I-Haha!"

Pronto watched the wallop laugh, his pride decreasing and embarrassment growing with each passing second.

"Pronto is now glad he did not wear his red suit." he muttered to himself.


	7. Chapter 7

A sultry, smooth tune was playing, and guests were choosing partners to dance with. This was the part Carlotta had been dreading for the party. Of course, as the hostess, she knew there would be dancing at this party, that it was inevitable, but still she'd dreaded it from the moment she'd started sending out invitations. It wasn't that she was a bad dancer, she'd waltzed before, and had even spent a few hours practicing before the party. It was just that whenever it came to choosing partners for anything (sports, classwork, anything) she was always picked last. She'd gotten used to it over time, but it didn't get any less painful. It still hurt her feelings, and she wasn't sure if she could stand it if it happened tonight. The hostess of her own party, left to stand awkwardly hoping that someone would just ask her to dance already, even for just one dance, just to end her humiliation, only, surprise, no one would. And there was the whole matter of who would ask her that just made the whole thing so much more unbearably complicated than it already was!

"Excuse me," a courteous voice at her shoulder said, very gently, and she turned, in surprise, to face Junjie. "Are you waiting for your dance partner?"

Recovering quickly from her surprise, Carlotta shook her head.

"I don't have a dance partner to wait for." she said.

"In that case," he offered his hand. "Would you care to dance?"

Carlotta blinked.

"You...want to dance with me?" she asked, taken aback by the young man's gallantry.

He nodded, his dark eyes quite sincere.

"It would be an honor to share one dance with the hostess of this celebration." he said.

Carlotta was touched. Sure, Junjie wasn't a certain other slugslinger, but he was a good friend and she was grateful for his kindness. Also, it wasn't like she could afford to be picky.

"I'd be happy to dance." she said, accepting his arm and letting him lead her to the dance floor.

They'd barely taken a few steps toward the gathering dancers when Carlotta spotted Eli standing not far off with an expression of...was it disappointment?

'Did he want to ask me to dance?' she wondered.

Her heart fluttered hopefully at the thought. She suddenly found herself wishing she hadn't been so quick to accept Junjie as her partner, and then felt guilty for that wish. What if Eli just wanted to ask her to dance so she wouldn't be left out? She wasn't sure if she could handle the painfully platonic gesture if it came from the object of her affections. But how would that explain the disappointed look on his face? They reached the floor before Carlotta's mind could spin any further. She rested her hand on Junjie's shoulder and he placed his on her waist. They began to dance, stepping lightly over the snow amid the other guests.

"I wanted to thank you for inviting me, Carlotta."

"Oh, it was nothing, Junjie." replied the hostess. "You're a good friend; why shouldn't I have invited you?"

"It's just..." Junjie looked away sheepishly.

"What?" Carlotta tilted her head, curiosity in her blue eyes.

"I've never been to a celebration like this before." the black-haired male confessed.

Carlotta chuckled.

"I figured as much." she said. "You did mention that you spent your whole life training to protect the eastern caverns."

"I actually found it rather surprising that...well," Junjie let out a self-conscious chuckle, "it seems strange now I look back on it, but I could hardly imagine that there was more to life than training and fighting."

His partner laughed.

"A good thing you met Eli then to teach you otherwise!" she giggled.

Junjie smiled, twirling Carlotta as the other dancers spun their partners likewise.

"I dare say he's been a good influence on me."

"Well," Carlotta cleared her throat, calming her laughter as they settled back into calm step, "he's a good person. Better than good, of course." then she added, softly: "He's probably the best person I know."

Junjie noticed the warm reverence in her voice. He raised an eyebrow, giving her a knowing smile.

"Is that why you planned this party?" he asked.

Carlotta blinked.

"What?"

"Did you plan this party to impress Eli in some way?"

The brunette frowned, suddenly tempted to step on Junjie's foot. Instead, she breathed deeply and stamped on her anger instead.

"No, I planned this party to celebrate one of my favorite holidays with some of my favorite people." she said, unable to keep all of the indignation out of her tone.

Junjie bowed his head

"I apologize. I should've known otherwise."

She smiled, patting his shoulder forgivingly.

"It's okay, Junjie. No harm done."

They were quiet for time while the dance continued. Then, as the dancers twirled their partners, Carlotta spotted Eli again. He was dancing. Her heart sank when she saw his partner: Dana Por. Now, the brunette really wished she had waited before accepting Junjie as her partner. Not that that might've changed much. Dana was a friend to the Shane gang, though not a close one, and she was beautiful and fascinating, like a black panther with glasses, pink hair and thieving tendencies. She and Eli also shared a connection through their fathers, and she was a bad girl. What was more attractive to a good boy than a bad girl? Junjie noticed Carlotta's sobering expression, and gave her a questioning look. Carlotta hesitated, then said, her face turning pink as she uttered the words:

"Is it obvious that I have feelings for Eli?"

"Rather obvious, yes." Junjie nodded.

One didn't need to be an expert in matchmaking to know that. Anyone could see it plainly.

'Unless you were preoccupied by your own feelings,' he thought.

He wouldn't say it out loud. Carlotta may be a good friend, but it was Eli who held his loyalty.

"Do you think he knows?"

He shook his head.

"No, he doesn't."

Carlotta sighed with audible relief.

"Oh, thank goodness."

She didn't think she could survive the mortification if Eli knew. Unbeknownst to her, a grin that was dangerously close to mischief had appeared on Junjie's face.

"Perhaps I was too hasty, asking you to dance earlier." he said, and before Carlotta could ask, he added: "I could've waited to see if Eli would."

Carlotta's face flushed redder than before.

"Are you trying to make me blush to death on purpose?" she asked.

Junjie appeared to be deaf, because he kept talking.

"It could've been the perfect opportunity for you to tell him about your feelings for him."

Carlotta looked down, preferring to concentrate on her dancing feet than to look at Junjie, who must've been amused by her embarrassment.

"You are trying to kill me." she affirmed, to which Junjie couldn't help but laugh, then added: "There's no way I could tell him."

"Why not?" Junjie asked, sounding genuinely confused and concerned.

"I'm too scared." Carlotta admitted. "I'm terrified. Not just of saying it but of what'll happen afterwards. He might have to tell me to my face that he doesn't feel the same, and I'm not ready to deal with that heartbreak. Not yet. Especially not during Christmas. Plus, it'll probably ruin our friendship, and that means too much to me."

At last, she looked back up.

"Do you see what I mean?"

Junjie nodded sympathetically.

"Yes, I understand." he said. "Both your reasons and how intimidating it can be to approach some you like romantically."

This last statement made Carlotta pause.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, and now it was Junjie's turn for his cheeks to pinken.

"Um..."

A sly grin worked its way on Carlotta's face.

"Do you see the girl dancing with Eli?" Junjie nodded his head toward the pair, who weren't too far away from them.

Carlotta nodded, glancing only briefly at Dana.

"Yes?"

Though she admittedly felt jealousy toward the girl only minutes before, she was warming up to the thief as it appeared, to her expert eye, that Junjie had taken a fancy to her.

"She has, you could say, caught me eye." Junjie confessed.

Carlotta beamed.

"How about I introduce you to her after this dance?" she suggested, her mind already spinning with plans to make the potential couple happen by the end of the party.

"You don't need to-" Junjie tried to argue.

"Nonsense! Look at you! You're turning red just thinking about it!" Carlotta pointed out.

Junjie's usually pale face was, indeed, turning an impressive shade of scarlet.

"Look, I'll just make things easier for you. After this dance, I'll fetch Dana, that's her name, and introduce her to you. Then, unburdened from having to actually start the conversation with her, you can just ask her to dance. She'll say yes, and you guys can start getting to know each other!"

It sounded like a good plan, and much less stressful than going up to the fascinatingly attractive Dana himself.

"Thank you," Junjie said. "And, perhaps, in exchange for your help, I could secure a dance for you and Eli next."

Carlotta blushed crimson.

"One thing at a time, Junjie." she said, laughing self-consciously.


	8. Chapter 8

When the dancing began, Eli took it as his cue to ask Carlotta to be his partner, and he was quite determined to do so. He'd already been too late asking her to be his date, he couldn't be late for this too! Unfortunately, by the time he'd reached her, she was already on Junjie's arm. The slugslinger was visibly disappointed. Why did Junjie ask her? Of all people, why Junjie? There was no way any girl would decline dancing with Junjie. He was handsome, smart, mature and a great guy. Had Carlotta been hoping he'd ask her?

He was able to catch her eye as she was passing him, and, to his surprise, a string of emotions flashed across her face: surprise, doubt, disappointment, and was that guilt or regret? He couldn't be sure.

"Hey," said someone behind him, and Eli turned to see Dana. "Someone steal your dance partner?"

Eli shook his head, but smiled. Dana was a good friend, and he felt he could use the company.

"She's not my partner." he said.

Dana raised an eyebrow.

"Really? 'Cause, to me, it looked like you wanted to ask her to dance until that cute guy swooped in."

"Well, okay, I did. I wanted to ask her to be my date to this party, but I kind of chickened out, so I thought at least I could ask her to dance."

The pink-haired thief snickered.

"Please don't pretend to be a chicken." Eli begged. "I've had enough of that from Kord."

"Don't worry, Eli. I'm not that immature."

He smiled at her reassurance, then they both looked back at the dancers. The men had just twirled their partners, and Eli felt a small stab of jealousy toward Junjie, as he expertly spun Carlotta before resuming the dance.

"You know, since we're friends and your intended beau has been taken, you could ask me for this dance." Dana suggested.

The idea didn't sound too bad, so Eli nodded and offered his hand.

"Want to dance?" he asked.

Dana placed a hand over her heart and make an exaggerated gasp.

"Oh, would I!" she said, feigning breathlessness.

Eli rolled his eyes and led her to the dance floor. With some awkward hesitation, he put his hand on Dana's waist as they followed the other dancers in step.

"I'm sorry in advance if I step on your feet." he said apologetically.

"It's okay." Dana said.

They danced quietly for a few minutes, with Eli having to twirl Dana once, during which he caught sight once more of Carlotta. And this time, he was sure he saw disappointment in her eyes when she spotted him with Dana. His heart pounded a little harder. Had she wanted to dance with him? But then why did she accept Junjie's offer to dance? The whole thing was confusing to Eli, so he decided to just focus on not stepping on Dana's shoes. Then he remembered something Dana had said before.

"Did you call Junjie "cute" earlier, or was I hearing things?" he asked.

Dana blinked, and Eli was sure her cheeks might've turned the slightest shade of pink.

"So that's his name? Junjie?" she said, nodded at Carlotta's partner.

Eli nodded, still waiting for Dana's answer.

"Well, yeah I think he's cute. In a warrior kind of way. Like, serious, but dutiful and really sweet on the inside. I spotted him earlier before the dancing started."

"That pretty much describes Junjie." Eli said. "But you don't think he's a bit goody-two-shoes for you?"

"You're the goody-two-shoes, Eli." Dana reminded, though in a friendly tone. "He seems more like a good influence. I think I could need a person like that; someone who can keep me on the straight and narrow."

"I could get him to ask you to dance later." Eli offered.

Dana mulled it over and agreed, before teasingly suggesting that she could get him to ask Carlotta to dance. Eli laughed, saying he didn't need her help. She reminded him that he was hopeless when it came to girls, and they both laughed as the dance came to an end. Then, they split up, Eli going to look for Junjie, Dana for a drink and perhaps Carlotta.


	9. Chapter 9

Starling stood on the side of the clearing to watch the guests dance, humming to the swaying melody. It was a good song. Carlotta had done well in that regard. She'd done well in every aspect of the party, so far as Starling was concerned. She was especially grateful that there weren't too many guests. Starling was used to large gatherings, especially among sky knights, but she always found it more enjoyable when there were less people. That said, a little company was always appreciated. Being alone reminded her too much of her old squadron now.

"I wonder if they would like this party..." she mused out loud.

"You wonder if who would like this party?"

Starling jumped at the voice from seemingly nowhere. She whirled around and relaxed when she saw the merb standing next to her, though with at least 3 feet of distance between them.

"Ah, Stork," she said. "Please don't scare me like that."

The carrier pilot shrugged.

"Sorry," he said. "Anyway, who is it that you were talking about?"

Starling couldn't look him in the eye when she answered:

"My squadron, the interceptors,"

"Ah, right, sorry,"

They stood there, silent, awkward, for a few minutes before Stork asked, quite out of the blue:

"When did it happen?"

Starling looked at the merb in confusion.

"What?"

"When did you lose your squadron?" Stork clarified.

The sky knight frowned, disliking the subject.

"Are you sure this is an appropriate topic for a Christmas party?" she asked.

"Do you think this is an appropriate collar for any party?" Stork replied, gesturing to the ruffled monstrosity at his neck.

Starling had to stifle a grin when she looked at it.

"Fair enough," she said. "It happened the same year the Dark Ace joined the cyclonians."

"So about 15 years ago," Stork surmised.

That did seem a long time ago, now that Starling thought about it.

"It's a long time to still be in mourning." said Stork.

"I'm not in mourning." said Starling.

"Well, you still haven't taken in new members for your squadron." the carrier pilot pointed out. "I mean, sure, they're your squadron, but isn't now a good time to move on? I doubt the spirits of your squadron members will come back to haunt you for that."

Starling was about to reply when he added:

"Of course, I could be completely wrong. Ghosts and spirits tend to be very vengeful creatures."

"How would you know?" Starling raised an eyebrow, amused by Stork's supposed knowledge of the supernatural. "Have you ever seen a ghost?"

"Well..."

She grinned at his loss for words.

"Okay, no, I haven't. Not counting the time the other storm hawks disguised themselves with flour last Halloween to play a "harmless prank" on me and get me in the "Halloween spirit"."

The mental image was too amusing not to at least snicker at. Stork glared. Starling hurriedly turned her laughter into a cough.

"So, you think that if I were to get new squadron members, the ghosts of my old squadron wouldn't go hunting me down?" she said.

"In theory," Stork shrugged. "I mean, 15 years is a long time."

"Yes," mused the purple-haired woman. "But is it long enough?"

Stork blinked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, my squadron was like my family. They were everything to me. So is 15 years enough time to miss them? When...when they died, I told myself I would never forget about them, that I'd never rest until I had paid them back the love and respect they had for me. And 15 years later, I still don't think I have."

Starling had never told this to anyone, anyone, so it was odd when she found herself spilling the beans to Stork, the storm hawks' carrier pilot. But it did feel good to finally get it all off of her chest. She looked up, and saw that Stork was still listening. Then again, he'd probably seen and heard of much more screwed up things than her rambling about her need to miss her dead squad mates.

"How can you just...move on from something like that?" she finally asked.

He didn't say anything. Starling looked away. This was probably much too weird. She should've kept her mouth shut. Then, Stork surprised her. He reached out, very, VERY tentatively, and placed a hand, with much hesitation, on her shoulder. She looked up at him.

"I'm not as good a pep-talker as the other storm hawks," he said, sounding apologetic, "so I'm probably not going to be helpful at all with what I'm going to say."

He removed his hand, brushing it hurriedly on his suit and wiping it with a handkerchief he took out of his pocket, to Starling's utter shock (Men still had handkerchiefs? Who knew?), and cleared his throat.

"I don't know how to answer your last question, but all I know is that you can move on from things like that. Just because your loved ones die in the most horrible ways possible," at this, Starling interrupted:

"How is this supposed to make me feel better?"

"Let me finish." said the merb. "Just because your loved ones die doesn't mean you have to spend the rest of your life missing them. Sure, you miss them a lot for the first few months, or even years. But then after a while, you start not to miss them. Just naturally. Of course, you feel guilty about not missing them, so you try to miss them more, but it doesn't last. You think about other things and only think about them occasionally, and when you do, you miss them a lot. And before you know it, you've moved on."

Starling stared at him. The first part of his description had been exactly how she had felt for all these years. But Stork apparently wasn't done yet. He took a breath, then continued:

"It's good to...you know, move on from tragedies like that. Horrible as they may be, of course. Because if you don't, you're stuck in a never-ending void of misery which leads to depression and most likely eventual suicide, and then you're REALLY doomed. But the point is, just because you don't miss them every waking second doesn't mean you've forgotten them. It doesn't mean you don't love them anymore. It just means you're...un-stuck, I guess."

Starling hadn't really thought about it in that way.

"And do you know any people who get un-stuck?" she asked.

"Well, duh, of course I do." he gestured to the dance floor. "I live with them."

Starling looked. She saw Aerrow and Piper dancing to one side, Finn and Junko laughing with Dove and the little mole-like creature from the Shane gang, and Radarr devouring cookies and other treats on a table with the slugs.

"But that's different." said Starling, turning back to Stork. "Aerrow, Piper, Finn and Junko don't remember their families."

"Well, not to toot my own horn," Stork pointed out, "but I perfectly remember my parents and when they were killed."

"Oh," Starling was taken aback.

It seemed obvious in retrospect. Of course Stork was an orphan. He nodded, confirming her thoughts on the matter.

"My mom was eaten by a creature from Terra Merbia, though I'm not completely sure what kind. I was really young at the time, so it's a bit fuzzy" he mused. "And my father kicked the bucket a few years later when he contracted several of Terra Merbia's very nasty diseases."

He sounded so casual about that Starling was a bit fascinated.

"And don't you miss them?" she asked.

"Oh, of course I do." Stork assured. "When I think about them. No, I don't visibly mourn them or go to their graves on Mother's and Father's day, but I haven't forgotten them. I still love them, and I still miss them, but I'm not going to mope about it for the rest of my days."

Starling smiled.

"Not when Finn and the others give me so much else I can mope about." he added, causing Starling to laugh.

Stork smiled at the sound of her laughter. It was nice to that Starling was happy. After all, he was supposed to be the mopey, depressed one, not Starling.

"Thank you, Stork."

The merb jumped when the interceptor's hand landed, butterfly-like, on his shoulder. Instinctively, he flinched away, and she pulled her hand back. She smiled softly at him, a very sweet, grateful smile.

"For what?" he asked.

"For cheering me up." Starling answered.

Stork smiled back at her.

"Well, it was nothing. I mean, I'm the one who's supposed to be sad and upset at any kind of party, so to have you be the upset one would ruin my reputation."

Starling laughed, again.

"Well, we can't have that!" she said, giggling.

Stork chuckled with her. It really was nice to see the normally serious sky knight happy, laughing and enjoying herself. He felt a warm happiness too at the knowledge that he was responsible for it. It clearly took a special kind of weird to make Starling laugh and smile, and he was that kind of weird.

"Awww, aren't they just so CUTE?" an annoying voice called out, ruining what Stork would've otherwise called a perfect moment.

Both adults turned to see Finn, Junko, and the mole-creature ogling them with big eyes, hands clasped, as though what they were witnessing was the most adorable thing on the planet.

"They are!" Junko said. "They're so cute together!"

"Pronto agrees!" cooed the molanoïd.

Stork glared at them all. Oh, if only he were on board the Condor now, then he could activate his precious trap and sky-rocket those stupid smiles off their faces.

"But there's something missing." said Finn, tapping his chin.

"Yeah," agreed Junko, mirroring the sharpshooter's actions. "But what could it be?"

The three mulled over it for a second before the molanoïd gasped and said:

"Pronto thinks they should kiss!"

Starling flushed red. Stork looked terrified. A list of millions of germs and potential diseases instantly went off like alarm bells through his head. Finn smirked at the mole's suggestion.

"Finn agrees." he said, then pointed to something above Starling and Stork.

They followed the line of his finger and saw, hanging perfectly just over their heads, a bunch of mistletoe. Stork went from green to white.

"Ghh!" he squeeked, terrified.

Starling looked at the merb, feeling sorry for the germaphobe.

"Well, it is part of the rules," she started.

"SINCE WHEN IS IT PART OF ANY RULES?!" Stork shrieked.

There was no way he was going to kiss Starling and get her germs all over him! No way! He was not going out like that! Starling sighed.

"Carlotta would insist we do it,"

"WHO CARES!? WHY DOES SHE GET A SAY?!"

"It's Carlotta's party, Stork. And you know that, as a matchmaker, she'll make us do it anyway. Best get it over with now."

"NO! I'M NOT DOING IT! I'M NOT GETTING YOUR GERMS! I'M NOT DYING THIS WAY!"

He tried to run, but was stopped when he slammed head-first into Junko, who pinned his arms to his sides and kept him from going anywhere.

"Oh no you don't, Stork!" said the wallop. "Rules are rules! And one kiss isn't gonna kill you."

"THIS ONE MIGHT!" the pilot yelled, struggling his best to escape.

Finn tutted.

"Ah, ah, ah, Stork. You're not going anywhere."

"Not unless you let yourself be kissed!" said Pronto.

Stork wouldn't simply "let himself be kissed". He wriggled and writhed and kicked, and even tried to bite Junko, all in vain. The wallop's iron grip would not loosen.

"I'm guessing there's no escape for me either." guessed Starling.

Finn shook his head, confirming her belief.

"Just one little peck, and you're both off the hook."

She sighed.

"Alright, since there's no other way."

She leaned closer to the furiously wriggling Stork.

"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! YOU CAN'T-"

Starling leaned in enough to give him a gentle kiss on the cheek. For about 3 seconds, Stork froze. Then, as Junko let him go:

"GAAAAAAH!"

He zoomed off to find the nearest washroom. Starling watched him go, hearing the three boys chuckle beside her, and put a hand to her lips to hide a smile. Stork really was a weird guy, but he was that kind of weird she couldn't help but like.


	10. Chapter 10

As soon as the dance was over, Carlotta sprinted off to find Dana. It didn't take long: a matchmaker on a mission has the eyes of a hawk, and Dana was pretty easy to spot thanks to her pink hair.

"Hey, Dana!" the brunette tapped her target on the shoulder, distracting her from her drink. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure," said the former thief, allowing Carlotta to drag her away from the buffet table, "about what?"

Carlotta shrugged, the epitome of innocence, and chose an easy topic.

"Oh, just what you think about this party of mine?"

"It's pretty great." Dana smiled. "Of course, the drinks could use an upgrade."

"But apart from that, would you say it's pretty enjoyable?"

"Yeah, sure," then, Dana eyed the hostess suspiciously. "Why?"

"Oh, you know, I'm just curious to see how my first party turned ou-"

Carlotta hadn't been watching where she was going, and so both girls walked right into Junjie and, behind him, Eli Shane. He and Carlotta locked eyes for a brief second before Carlotta, already feeling pink in the face and uncomfortably warm, looked away.

"Oh! I beg your pardon!" Junjie said as Dana righted her glasses, which had been knocked a little askew in the bump.

Eli stepped out from behind Junjie, a positively adorable bashful and apologetic expression on his face.

"Sorry, girls, we weren't looking where we were going." he apologized.

"No, it's okay." Carlotta said. "We weren't looking either."

Then Eli and Carlotta each turned to their respective companion.

"Junjie, this is-"

"Dana, this-"

"Oh!" both said, at exactly the same time, and looked at each other. "Sorry!"

"You go first." Eli offered.

"No, you spoke first, you go." said Carlotta.

"Ladies first,"

"After you, I insist."

"Okay, guys, this is adorable and all," Dana interrupted, "but how about we just introduce ourselves?"

The two, both red in the face, nodded, taking a few steps back and away from Dana and Junjie. Junjie cleared his throat.

"I am Junjie." he said, extending his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Dana. Dana Por," Dana shook the offered hand. "And the pleasure's all mine."

While they were talking, Eli edged over to Carlotta's side until he was standing right next to her.

"Hi," he whispered.

She smiled up at him.

"Hi," she whispered back.

He leaned in a bit and asked, still whispering:

"Were you trying to set them up too?"

A blush flowered over Carlotta's cheeks as Eli's breath touched her ear, and her heart fluttered madly in her chest. But she managed to nod and whisper back:

"Was it obvious?"

"Only a little," the slugslinger admitted.

"Well, can you blame me? I'm a matchmaker, and Junjie said he was interested in her while we were dancing."

"Oh,"

She might've imagined it, but it sounded to Carlotta that Eli was relieved.

"What about you?" she asked. "You were trying to set Dana with him?"

Eli nodded.

"Dana said she thought he was cute."

"That's a promising start." Carlotta smiled, now more comfortable with Eli's closeness, though her heart was still dancing a wild jig.

They both watched as the budding couple before them chatted amiably, before Junjie said:

"Dana, I was wondering if you'd care to share this next dance with me?"

Dana's eyes glimmered happily behind her glasses.

"I'd love to." she said, putting her arm in his. "Now, tell me more about the Eastern Caverns. They sound amazing."

Carlotta grinned in triumph as she watched them go.

"Mission accomplished." she said softly.

"I can hear the wedding bells already." Eli replied, and Carlotta heard the smile in his voice.


	11. Chapter 11

The music started up again. It was a slow-dance version of "All I Want for Christmas". The perfect Christmas song for couples to dance to.

"Hey, Carlotta?"

She turned to look at Eli, intrigued by the surprising amount of shyness in his voice. He was scratching the back of his neck with one hand, and looked almost timid.

"What is it, Eli?" she asked, concerned for her friend (and crush).

He took a breath, running his hand over his dark hair and smoothing it down. Then he seemed to have regained his courage, because he smiled at her, though he still looked unbelievingly shy (and cute beyond belief).

"Do you want to dance?" he asked.

For an instant, Carlotta was so shocked that her heart stopped beating. Then it started up again at a rocketing pace! Eli was asking HER to dance?! Carlotta's thoughts were screaming with delight!

"I'd love to! I mean," she caught herself, fearing she sounded way too enthusiastic, "yeah, sure...whatever, yes!"

Eli chuckled, and Carlotta smiled through her slight embarrassment. Embarrassment that was forgotten once she and Eli stepped onto the dance floor. Their hands immediately found each other, and clasped tightly as though they'd been meant to hold one another. Then, they started dancing. It was like a dream. Sure, Carlotta had danced before, and it had never been her favourite thing in the world. But dancing with Eli made it so different, and in the best possible way. They glided rather then stepped, they danced on air. Carlotta felt light as a breeze. Eli's arms were safe and sure around her, and she felt like she could dance forever with him.

"This is really nice." Eli breathed, breaking the silence, but not ruining the moment.

"Yeah," Carlotta agreed, then drifted off while Eli twirled her. "You're a really good dancer."

He grinned shyly.

"Thanks, but you're better." he said. "You're more...graceful."

She blushed scarlet.

"I'm not sure about that," she said, almost inaudibly. "I mean, you're pretty graceful yourself. You're not stepping on my toes."

"Well, you're more experienced than I am." Eli amended.

He'd never waltzed in his entire life until Trixie decided that he and the other Shane gang members should have some practice so they wouldn't disgrace themselves at the party. Carlotta chuckled.

"Only with relatives," she said. "This is one of the first times I've ever danced with someone who wasn't part of my family."

'And the first time I've ever danced with someone I was in love with,' her mind helpfully added.

Eli seemed surprised at this.

"No guy's ever asked you to dance until tonight?" he asked, sounding baffled.

Carlotta shook her head. It seemed rather obvious that she was a bit surprised at Eli's apparent shock.

"No guy's ever wanted to." she said, and when Eli still looked shocked, she added, "I'm not exactly a boy-magnet, Eli"

It was true. She wasn't flirty, she wasn't social, she wasn't charmingly witty, she wasn't particularly brave or daring or heroic, and she was in no way attractive! She wasn't even the prettiest girl in the room, or almost any room! She was shy, awkward and rather plain. Not to mention a million other characteristics that made her unappealing to date. She didn't say any of this out loud, but it was written all over her face. Eli frowned.

"I think those guys don't know what they're missing out on." he said.

Once again, Carlotta's heart stopped, then fluttered out of control.

"You...really think that?" she asked, quiet and disbelieving.

He nodded.

"Carlotta, you are the nicest girl I've ever met. You're sweet, and caring; funny, smart and, overall, a pretty amazing person."

The words lit a fire of happiness within her veins. The fire coloured her cheeks a crimson hue that rivaled a volcano.

"I think any guy would be lucky to dance with you." Eli said.

His voice was gentle, and it made the sentiment all the more treasured by Carlotta. She couldn't look at him, turning her gaze downward, but unable to keep the stupid, love-struck, goofy smile off her face. Then, Eli added:

"And even luckier to end up under the mistletoe with you."

He said it softly, almost inaudibly. Her gaze snapped back up to him. He noticed this and looked back at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Um-yes, why?"

By now, their slow dancing had drifted to a complete halt. Luckily, they were on the very edge of the dance floor, so no one appeared to have noticed or minded. Eli's hand let go of hers and he reached up to touch her cheek. If her face wasn't burning before, Carlotta was sure it was now. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if her whole body was on fire at the moment, because the gentle touch, his palm on her cheek, sent a sudden inferno shooting through her whole being!

'He's touching my face!' her mind would not stop chanting. 'He's touching my face, he's touching my face, oh my gosh, he's touching my face!'

"You're all red." Eli said, sounding concerned. "You don't have a fever, do you?"

"No, I'm fine." she said, placing her hand on Eli's forearm, both to reassure him, and to keep the delicious physical contact. "I'm just a little warm."

Oh, what an understatement that was. Taking a deep breath to keep from passing out with sheer joy, she asked, warily:

"We're not...under a mistletoe...are we?"

Eli looked up. He hadn't taken his hand away, and Carlotta used it as an anchor to gather her thoughts and stay calm (well, as calm as she could be when her crush was touching her face in such a romantic and caring way, still holding her by the waist, and all in a pretty romantic setting).

"Actually..." Eli said, his own cheeks turning pink, "I think we are."

And her calmness shattered. Carlotta looked up, and for probably the first time in her life, was dismayed to see a friggin' cluster of mistletoe right on top of them! Carlotta froze. Oh no. There was no way this could be happening. There was no way she could kiss Eli Shane! No way! And not like this! If they ever, ever, ever kissed, it would be in a much different situation, when he might have some beyond-friendly affection for her, when there was no mistletoe to force him to kiss her, when she was prepared, when she had some measure of confidence to look him in the eye!

"Uh...I...uh..."

'Words, Carlotta. Take deep breaths and speak words. Coherent words, preferably.'

"Y-You-You don't..."

Briefly, she turned her gaze from the mistletoe to Eli, but then hurriedly turned away, shaking off his touch and placing her hands on his shoulders as a feeble barrier between them.

"...don't have to kiss me." she finished meekly.

Eli blinked.

"What?" he sounded very, very confused.

'WHAT are you doing?!' Carlotta's mind screamed at her. 'WHAT are you SAYING?! WHY are you saying this?! Why can't you just let Eli kiss you and BE HAPPY, YOU IDIOT?!'

But the connection between Carlotta's mind and her mouth had been neatly severed.

"You don't have to kiss me if you don't want-"

Eli turned her face up to look at him, effectively shutting her up. And if that hadn't worked, him putting his mouth on hers would have.

Carlotta's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates! Her hands dropped limply at her sides. He was kissing her. Eli was kissing her! It was nothing but their lips against each other, barely moving, but it was a kiss! Her eyes fluttered closed, and she vaguely registered Eli's hands move so he could hold her close. It was more than she anything could've hoped: it was soft and sweet, the feeling of his lips was foreign and new, but so incredibly wonderful. Her heart was pounding so hard and so fast, she could hear it thrumming. The world around them was gone, and there seemed to be nothing but Eli, this kiss and this moment, this perfect, amazing moment. Slowly, he pulled away, lingering for a second, long enough for Carlotta to open her eyes. He smiled shyly at her.

"I...actually really want to kiss you." he said softly.

Carlotta's mouth stretched into a silly grin, and she couldn't get rid of it. So, she decided to distract her mouth by kissing Eli herself. This time, she leaned into it, her arms going around his neck to be as close as she could. Eli tilted his head to deepen the kiss, and by the time both teens pulled away, they were a little out of breath. Unable to find anything to say, Carlotta hugged Eli, placing her head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head, and she smiled into the crook of his neck.

"I think we have a lot to talk about after this party." she said.

"I think so too."

They were quiet for several seconds.

"But it can wait." the boy added.

"It can wait." Carlotta agreed. "Though, can I just say one more thing?"

"Sure," Eli looked questioningly at her. "What is it?"

She grinned up at him.

"Merry Christmas." she said, then went on her tip-toes to kiss him on the nose.

Eli smiled and kissed her again.

"Merry Christmas."


	12. Chapter 12

Aerrow, Piper, Kord and Trixie watched Eli and Carlotta dance with increasing aggravation. They'd been eavesdropping on them (from their hidden spot on top of a giant mushroom) for seemingly an eternity, and nothing. Nothing! Not a wink, not a kiss on the cheek, not even any cutesy hand-holding! Zip! Zero! Goose eggs!

"Oh, come ooonnnnn!" Kord moaned. "Can't they just get it over with!? I mean," he sat up, drawing the attention of his fellows, "what's the hold-up?! He likes her, she likes him! I just wanna grab their heads and make them kiss myself!" he said, putting his hands together to demonstrate.

"I know!" Aerrow hissed. "It's torture to watch them; it's unbearable! I can't believe we put Carlotta through this." he added to Piper, who nodded in agreement. "No wonder she was always pushing us to become a couple."

"We really have to make it up to her somehow." his crystal mage said. "I mean, to think that she went through all this frustration EVERY DAY! How did she do it?!"

"I think it's because she's secretly a masochist." said Trixie, zooming in on Carlotta and Eli with her camera.

She knew just how much Carlotta liked Eli, and yet the poor girl tortured herself by not acting on her feelings, even repeatedly convincing herself that Eli didn't like her back, which was actually the very opposite about how the young Shane felt about her. The redhead sighed.

"Okay, that's it. We have to do something."

"I agree." said Aerrow, getting to his knees. "We can't just not do anything. We have to find some way for them to confess, or at least kiss."

His green eyes sparkled with an idea.

"Quick, does anybody have an mistletoe?" he asked.

"No...but that's okay!" said Kord, brightening up. "We could just get some right now! Carlotta hung some all over this clearing! Then all we have to do is hang it over their heads, and it's smooch-fest!"

"And how are we going to get it?" asked Piper. "They'd definitely see us and get suspicious! And how are we even going to hang it over their heads without them noticing? Hold it above them? There's no way that could work!"

The cave troll and sky knight groaned.

"She's right, we have to do something else." said Aerrow.

"Wait-wait-wait!" Trixie waved her hand, pointing her camera somewhere else. "Guys, look!"

She pointed. They looked. Across the clearing, on top of another giant mushroom, Radarr and a group of slugs were whispering to each other, and in Radarr's paws, there was a fat clump of mistletoe. Kord squinted.

"Aren't those the slugs Carlotta borrowed to decorate this place?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Trixie, zooming in on Buzzsaw, Suds, Goober and Spinner, whispering and chittering with Burpy, Joules, Banger and Chiller, "they are. What are they doing here?"

As the four watched, Radarr held out the mistletoe and Spinner backed away before firing a long string of web to stick to it. The slugs all grabbed hold of the web-rope, all except for Goober, who stood near the edge of the mushroom. The rope swung over the party, back and forth, before the slugs let go. It cleared the heads of the dancers below them and started drifting down, but then Goober coughed up a big load of goop. It stuck the web-rope to the rim of the mushroom, leaving the mistletoe to hang perfectly right above Eli and Carlotta. The small team of critters cheered and high-fives were exchanged.

"I think that'll do the trick." said Aerrow.

The other three nodded, each of them bearing satisfied grins. Trixie focused her camera on the dancing pair below her.

"Send me pictures after this." Piper whispered to her.

"You got it."

There was no way she'd miss capturing this!


End file.
